Chrysalis
by mizutanitony
Summary: A story about my FemShep Leela as a teenager and her first visit to the Citadel and her first time making friends. Rated for language and also some slightly pervy moments.
1. Chapter 1

This is a work of fiction and many of the characters that appear in the Mass Effect involved are the property of EA and Bioware.

Title: Chrysalis

Game: Mass Effect

Rating: M (for some language and certain scenes)

PART 1

Stepping out of the bathtub, she reached over and pulled a towel from the nearby rack and ran it quickly over her body before running it through her hair. Careful not to trip over her clothes, she walked over to the sink; grateful for the warm, humid air in the bathroom that felt wonderful against her skin. Over the past several months her body had begun picking up every single new sensation; some were tolerable while others caught her by surprise. The warmth of the bathroom was the sensation she enjoyed the most over the cool, circulated air that was filtered throughout the apartment. Taking the towel, she wiped away the condensation that had formed on the mirror and began her the daily ritual when she finally started her transition.

Dr. Farris had warned her about the changes she'd be going through, warnings that did little to prepare her for the results. She could barely recognize the person on the first page of her journal. Her face and lips had gotten a little fuller, her voice was higher, and except for the calluses from her training her skin was softer than she remembered and her acne had cleared up slightly. Not as much as she'd hoped; a few red marks from on her face was evidence of that, but enough that she didn't bitch to her mother about it as much which was a good thing since her mother was always on her case about learning to apply make-up to cover them up. She knew her mother meant well but she was more concerned with were the changes happening below her neck line.

Turning sideways, she let her eyes shift their focus to her formerly flat, now slightly curved chest. She took a moment to examine it for the minute changes that only she saw. At first the changes had been subtle, but now nearly six months into her therapy there were things that she could no longer ignore. She noticed that the skin around her nipples had grown a slight shade darker than they were a few days ago, and that compared to a month ago her breasts had grown quite a bit larger. Though it was still unsure how big her breasts would become, she was pleased with how they were developing. They were definitely beginning to give her body a decidedly feminine shape.

It was a feeling that was very hard for to grasp. For the longest time, she could always remember wanting the body she was slowly growing into but nothing anyone had ever told her about it compared to the reality of the effects the injections were having. The first thing she experienced was the pain of the muscles in her chest expanding; starting to protrude into the most basic characteristic of what defined every woman. Though it wasn't much at the moment and nowhere near as large some of the other girls, they were all hers. That thought alone gave her an inner peace that she had sought for so long. Reaching up, she ran a thumb along the side of her nipple only to stop short; inhaling sharply as a split second hot jolt shot straight to her core.

"I'm going to kill Dr. Farris the next time I see her." gritted out Leela as she stared into the mirror remembering what the doctor had told her.

"You'll experience some slight discomfort and sensitivity," the doctor had told her when she'd asked about what she'd experience after receiving her initial injection.

"And you're going to experience some discomfort when my foot meets your ass." hissed Leela as she memory faded from her mind.

No matter how mentally prepared she thought she was, there was always something new happening. Showering had become something she could barely tolerate. The water beating against her chest was the worst so she had taken to baths instead. Not only was it easier, but it also helped to ease the daily ache that had taken up residence in her body. Some mornings it was tolerable, while others she could barely get out of bed and required her mother's help to get dressed. She hated those mornings. It was an ongoing argument with her mother. Everyday Leela would stay in and read, do her studies, and work out before settling in for the rest of the day watching vids or playing video games while her parents went out for the day to go shopping or meet up with friends. Some days they would come back with bags of food or worse, clothing.

She wasn't completely against her the outfits her mother had bought. She had to admit that she liked the blouses her mother had bought and would wear them when the time was right. The dresses she'd simply ignored and dumped outside her bedroom door along with the underwear her mother had bought. She could understand the need for dresses in her life, but the thought of wearing them was about as impractical as the underwear her mother would buy along with them. Those she tossed into the bag with the dresses, still there were a few items Leela couldn't argue with her mother for buying. The one article of clothing she'd need no matter what the circumstances.

Her sports bra.

Even though things were finally starting to feel the way they should, she still couldn't get used to the necessary evil of wearing a bra. She had put off wearing one for as long as she could, except now with how much her body had progressed wearing one was no longer a choice but rather a necessity. On one hand it provided the necessary support and kept her nipples shielded from the sting of the cold air but the feel of putting on and taking off the tight fitting garment sent her still hyper-sensitive nipples over the edge. She briefly wondered if she was ever going to get used to it or if it would get any better.

Deciding it best not to dwell on what would happen in the future, she reached over to the top of the toilet and picked up the bundle of elastic and gray cotton. Unfolding it, she let out a heavy sigh at what she was about to do.

"Leela?" asked a voice on the other side of the door, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Yeah, Mom?" she answered, eyes locked in silent combat with the bra.

"Are you all right? Do you need some help?" her mother's attempt at hiding her concern not going unnoticed.

"No." responded Leela a little hesitant.

"Are you sure?" inquired Hannah, a bit more hopeful than was necessary. "It's just that you've been in there a little longer than normal."

"I'm fine," replied Leela stretching the fabric in preparation. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay." her mother sighed, a bit disappointed with the answer she received. "I'll be in the kitchen whenever you're ready."

Waiting for a few moments, Leela made sure her mother's footsteps to fully fade away before returning her attention to the bra.

"All right you suffocating bastard," she grumbled glaring down at the bra, "let's get this over with."

Pulling the bra over her head, she bit down on her lip as she felt it tighten against her chest. This was the worst part of the whole experience, but she suffered through it all the same. She had gone through several different fabrics and styles of the wretched garment before concluding that this was the most tolerable. She held her breath, feeling of the cotton brush against her nipples sending jolts of electricity through her body; some down her spine and others elsewhere she'd rather not think about. Once she felt the elastic bottom settle against her torso, she let out a long sigh of relief; huffing at the low whistle of her nose that accompanied it and opened the drawer her parents had set aside for her.

It took a couple of moments of searching, but finally she found her small bag and pulled out a needle, two alcohol wipes, and a small bottle. With a practiced hand popped the cap off the bottle, pulled the plunger of the needle before sticking it through the small seal at the top of the phial. Pushing the plunger in, she lowered the needle into the liquid and pulled on the plunger until the liquid was measured to the prescribed amount. Removing it, she flicked the needle to eject some excess air. Setting the needle down briefly on the counter, she wiped off a portion of her thigh before plunging the needle into the muscle. It stung as she pushed down on the plunger and when she removed it she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

After applying a bit of medi-gel to the injection point, she turned to the side and studied her profile for a few moments. She snapped a picture with her omni-tool and sent it to print. When she went into her room, the picture was already printing and after getting dressed she stuck it into what she was calling her 'Progression Journal'. After writing in "Month 5, Week 2," she headed out into the small apartment a friend of her parents was letting them use for their vacation. Arriving in the kitchen, she found her mom pouring a cup of coffee and humming along with an old Earth song on the radio. Grabbing a glass of juice from the table, she walked over to her mother and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" smiled Hannah as she sipped at her coffee still humming along with the song.

"I'm having a good morning," answered Leela with a shrug.

"That's a relief," chuckled Hannah before giving a daughter a gentle pat on the cheek.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Leela, irritated by her mother's comment.

Hannah gave her daughter a cryptic smile and headed to the table where she proceeded to dig into a box of left over pizza. Grabbing her juice, Leela walked to the table and pulled out a slice of her own. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Hannah reading up on the morning news as she ran her fingers through her slowly growing red hair while Leela stared out the window watching cars zoom past. When she was about half way through her slice the teenager finally spoke.

"Where's Dad?" asked Leela suddenly noticing the absence of the news playing on the living room vid screen and the accompanying orchestra of grunts from his morning workouts.

"He's sleeping in," Hannah hummed without looking up from her data-pad.

"Seriously?" asked Leela in disbelief. There were few things that kept her father in bed after seven in the morning and her interest was piqued.

"Seriously," laughed Hannah over the rim of her mug, "He had a meeting last night with a couple of higher ups that ran late and it wore him out."

"I don't blame him then," sighed Leela; biting into her pizza.

It never failed to make her laugh that her father was able to fight for weeks on end with very little sleep, but put him in a room with members of the brass and he'd sleep in till noon if he could. As they sat at the table chewing absentmindedly on their pizza and discussing some of news articles that were flashing across their data pads; they were interrupted by a loud thud from kitchen entrance followed by a low, irritated grumble. Turning her head, Leela saw her father standing in the doorway of the kitchen, the lower half of his face contorted in misery once again hitting his head on the door frame. Stifling a laugh, she watched as her father ducked down and entered the kitchen rubbing his forehead; a series of curses escaping his lips.

Standing six-ten, Mercutio Shepard, or Mark to those closest to him was an impressive figure. While his wife a stood only five-eight, slightly pale with facial scarring and short red hair, Mark was a tower of tanned, toned muscle with long brown hair, and save for a tattoo of the N7 logo on his inner right arm had no visible scars until he took off his shirt. Many people were afraid of him by his size alone, but to those closest to him he was a very kind soul. That is until he was in the middle of a training session or mission and the warrior that could rival any krogan emerged. Despite his prowess on the battlefield, he was unable to escape a few bad habits; the most prominent being his morning routine.

As he shuffled toward them, Leela watched as her dad scratched at his five o'clock shadow before scratching at his stomach and a bit lower as he yawned loudly. Averting her gaze, Leela waited for his customary post scratch grunt before shaking her head at the sight before her. This morning he was dressed in his faded Ninja Turtle pajama bottoms, blue tank top, ratty old blue bathrobe with the words "Police Box" written across the shoulders and topped off with a pair of oversized Raphael slippers. As he lumbered through the kitchen, he didn't take notice the women at the table until he heard them stifle their laughter. Turning like a zombie hearing one of them snort, his bloodshot hazel eyes focused first on his daughter then drifted slowly to his wife. He gave a low grunt to which Hannah merely responded with a nod at the counter.

Walking to the table, he bent down and kissed Hannah gently on the cheek and ruffled Leela's hair before he made his way to the counter. Removing a large mug from cabinet, he poured his coffee and headed to the table. Pulling out his chair, Mark sat down and lazily stretched his legs out before sliding toward the table. Once his slippers were staring comfortably up at his wife, Mark turned his attention to his coffee. They sat there for a while in a comfortable silence until a deep rumble emanated from man. Shaking her head, Leela pulled a slice of pizza out of the box and extended it to her father. Staring at it and then back to his daughter, Mark opened his mouth allowing his daughter to place the food in his mouth.

"Rough meeting, Dad?" asked Leela, smiling as her father took the food from her hand between his teeth.

"Yeah." mumbled Mark after swallowing a mouthful of pizza. Taking a sip of his coffee he let out a low sigh, "Nothing like an ass-chewing a week into your vacation and having to look forward to another one the following week?"

"Another one?" inquired Hannah, signing off at some document on her data-pad before turning her attention to her husband. "What's it about?"

"Classified." stated Mark matter of factly, "All you two need to know right now is that you'll have my undivided attention for the next week. Which means..." he gave a knowing look to Leela who groaned.

"Come on, Dad," she complained through a mouthful of pizza, "You said I didn't have to do anything if I didn't want to."

"True," he said after a couple of contemplative chews, "but you've been in this apartment for a week aren't you getting bored?"

"I have my books to keep me occupied," she huffed turning her attention to the window. "Not to mention my school work and I can do most of my basic fitness exercises in the living room. Why do I want to go out there when I have what I need here?"

"To be social," muttered Hannah as she finished her coffee.

"Did you forget the last time people were 'social' with me," scoffed her daughter pointing at the curve in the bridge of her nose and exhaled loudly, a deep whistle emphasizing her point.

"It's not like that here, Passerotto," her father chastised gently, trying to keep his daughter calm.

"How do you know?" snapped Leela, a blue glow forming around her body. "How do you know it's not like that here? Have you ever had to sit there and fucking not be able to talk to anyone, especially members of your own species, because you think they're going to try and bust your head open once you do?"

"Leela look at me." The teenagers head snapped to her mother, the glow pulsating from her daughter like a rippling in a pond. Reaching out, she laid her hand gently on Leela's and said, "We know this is tough on you. We've tried to be there as often as we can, especially after that first meeting with Dr. Lindstrom when you were younger, but we can only do so much. You have to take control of this yourself, so please," she watched as Mark reached out and took their daughter's other hand, "come out with us today and I promise you, no one will even give you a second glance."

Looking at her dad, Leela saw the same pleading look in his eyes that she heard in her mother's voice. She contemplated the idea for a moment; torn between the two options and pulled her hand away from her parents' grasp. Running a hand through her hair, she let out a defeated sigh knowing they wouldn't let up until she gave in.

The blue glow dissipated as she stomped off to her room growling, "I better be able to buy some new books."


	2. Chapter 2

This is a work of fiction and many of the characters that appear in the Mass Effect involved are the property of EA and Bioware.

Title: Chrysalis

Game: Mass Effect

Rating: M (for some language and certain scenes)

PART 2

An hour later, Leela shuffled listlessly alongside her parents through a section of the Kira Wards. It was one of the nicer residential areas her parents had told her about when they'd first arrived at the apartment but she couldn't tell as she had no basis of comparison. Save for her seeing the Presidium on their first day, Leela had pretty much remained isolated in the apartment, content to enjoy the peace and quiet it provided. Except now she actually felt some regret for remaining cooped up for as long as she had.

Her mother was right; no one was looking at her. Everyone was too busy going about their own business to butt into theirs and left her to her own thoughts. It was a liberating experience, for her to be out and have no one hassle her. Silently, she made her way through the crowd. Ducking past an elcor that was in, what passed for a heated conversation, with an asari discussing the current eezo stock prices in the galactic market. She couldn't help but laugh at the way the elcor spoke. She walked by turians in conversation with hanar about their prices on weaponry, volus trying to barter deals with human merchants about shipping merchandise to their stores. Even the human she'd run into, barely gave her a second glance before returning to his conversation with a krogan about a job he needed done.

It was the first time she'd ever felt glad to have someone brush her off. No one looked at her; no one yelled at her for being her. That was the best part about it. To them, she was just a face. A face that they'd more than likely never see again, the face of some kid who should have been in school rather than running around the wards. It was a feeling she'd never experienced before; the feeling of anonymity and she loved it. Loving it so much, that she didn't even notice that she'd been separated from her parents and instead found her attention focused on something that caught her attention even more than the other aliens aboard the station.

A giant, green, four legged bug had appeared from the crowd to clean up a mess made by two young asari girls. It had some sort of silver transmitter on its back and paid her no attention as it cleaned up what looked like some sort of vegetable platter. As she approached it, she noticed its head was a cross between an ant's and a praying mantis'. Taking a cautious step forward, Leela watched as the thin arms of the creature listlessly began cleaning up the mess. Taking another step, Leela found she was within arm's reach of the creature. Among all the aliens she'd seen, this was the weirdest one by far. It seemed completely oblivious to everything that was going on around it like everything around it didn't matter. As she grew closer, she carefully reached out her hand, slowly inching closer to the creature until a voice boomed from over the crowd.

"STEP AWAY FROM THE KEEPER!"

Snapping around, Leela saw two C-Sec officers pushing their way through the crowd. One was a turian with silver plates and black facial markings, while the other was an asari whose skin resembled more of a purple tinge than blue. Both of their faces locked onto her like she was a wanted criminal. Her body stiffened and behind her she heard the clacking of the creature's feet as it scuttled away. The crowd around her thinned as the officers approached her.

"What the ihell/i do you think you're doing?!" snarled the turian officer, a razor sharp talon barely missing her cheek as he pointed at the creature.

Leela's voice caught in her throat as the plates on the turian's face parted to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth. It was the first time she'd ever seen a turian this close. They weren't as scary as some of the kids had made them out to be. She found Krogan to be much more threatening. Still, there was something to be said about having a six foot tall alien with armor plating, razor sharp teeth, claws, shouting while simultaneously growling that kept the girl from answering.

"Well?" insisted the turian with another snarl. "What did you think you were doing getting so close to a Keeper?"

Leela could do little except stammer until a voice asked, "Is there a problem here officers?"

She felt herself relax when she heard the voice and a familiar hand on her shoulder. Her dad had found her and Leela felt herself smile internally at sight of the momentary shock in both officers' eyes. It didn't last long though as the asari's right hand rested gently on her side, relaxing as it slipped past her gun while the turian moved toward her father.

"Step away from the girl, Human," the turian hissed as he tried to size himself up to her father, "or I will arrest you for interfering with C-Sec business."

"Is it customary for C-Sec officers to deny a minor their right to have their parent present during questioning along with legal representation?" inquired Mark, uncharacteristically passive at the threats being issued by the turian.

"You're her father?" asked the turian, his voice laden with disbelief.

Pulling up his omni-tool, Mark showed them his identification, stating rather proudly, "Lieutenant Mercutio Shepard of the Systems Alliance."

The turian's eyes flitted back and forth between Mark, the omni-tool, and Leela before asking, "And what about proof for her?"

"What other proof do you need?" grunted Mark, giving a nervous glance at Leela.

"I need her to prove that you're her father as well," chuckled the officer, his mandibles twitching anxiously.

"There's no need for that," answered Mark hastily as he shifted himself in front of Leela. "She's just a kid."

"How old is she?" asked the turian, hearing the apprehension in Mark's voice.

"Sixteen," answered Leela without hesitation, hoping to draw some of the heat off her father.

"Sixteen?" chuckled the turian, sending chills down Leela's spine. "Seems to me she's plenty old enough to be brought in and charged of her own volition."

"Only by Turian law," retorted Mark, his voice taking on a much more defensive tone. "But she's human and since she's a minor by human standards you have no authority to treat her as you would a member of your own species."

"Are you telling me how to do my job, Human?" hissed the turian prodding Mark in the ribs with his long talon. Leela couldn't help but notice the way the plates on the side of the turian's head moved as he threatened her dad.

"No, I'm not," answered her father calmly, raising his hands: the sight of his tattoo catching the eye of the officers. "All I wanted to do was have a civil conversation with you and see if we could handle this before it got out of hand."

They stood there for a few moments. The turian and the human glaring daggers at each other while the teen and asari watched with baited breath. Neither one of them were willing to stand down. Leela was growing more nervous by the second; the hairs on her arm rising the longer the silence remained until a frantic beeping caught the attention of the asari officer.

"Kain," she said after reading something on her omni-tool. "We gotta go. There's been an incident involving a couple of dignitaries."

The turian's mandibles flicked twice as he shot a venomous look at Leela and Mark.

"Keep her away from them," hissed the turian, jabbing his finger toward Leela, "or I will arrest her next time. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly, Officer." replied Mark gratefully as he lowered his hands.

The turian said nothing as he turned on his heel to follow his asari partner.

"Sorry about that," Leela apologized once they were out of sight.

"It's all right, Leela," smiled her dad as he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before turning her in the direction he came. "We should have warned you about bothering the Keepers."

"Why can't I bother them?" inquired the teen as they began to make their way back to Hannah.

"Well," grunted Mark, rubbing the back of neck as he tried to come up with an answer. "It's just some rule they have here."

"Real enlightening, Dad." chuckled Leela, raising her hat to scratch her hair.

"I do my best," laughed Mark ruffling her hair.

"Seriously though," asked Leela after readjusting her hat, "why can't I go near them? It's not like they seemed hostile."

"You want the truth?" asked Mark looking down at his daughter as she eagerly nodded in reply. Laughing he pulled a bit at his ponytail and said, "The Keepers are an enigma."

"An enigma?" echoed Leela in disbelief. "How can a bug be an enigma?"

"They aren't bugs, Leela," Mark chuckled setting them down on a bench a short distance from where Hannah was watching. "Tell me what you see."

Leela knew what her dad was doing. Even before she told them she wanted to follow in their footsteps, they'd been training her. Training her to study movements of people in case she'd find herself in situations she didn't know how to handle. While useful, it didn't help make interacting with kids her own age any easier since it was obvious most of them didn't want to talk to her anyway. Brushing those thoughts out of her head, Leela focused on the Keeper. The way its arms and legs moved, how it seamlessly moved between the mass of bodies paying them no mind as the Keeper made its way toward its next assignment. She looked to her dad who was watching her expectantly and smiled at him.

"It's a drone," she stated confidently.

"How can you tell?" asked Mark flatly, his face giving away no hint as to whether she was right or wrong.

"Well," grunted Leela, stretching her arms above her head, "based on what I saw when I was looking at that other one, they are completely devoid of any purpose other than the task that's been assigned to them. They pay no attention to anyone that is around them, including other Keepers, which seems to be reminiscent of hive minded insects. Meaning," her mind went back to what she noticed about the Keeper she'd been observing only twenty minutes prior, "that more than likely someone programmed them to follow a specific set of instructions and only those." As another Keeper passed by them, she looked up at her dad expectantly, "So, did I get it right?"

A smile broke on Mark's face and he pulled her close as he laughed, "You just summed up damn near everything we know about them."

"You've got to be shitting me?" remarked Leela in disbelief.

"I'm not shitting you," said Mark before kissing the top of her head. "Save for knowing their biology you pretty much nailed it."

"How can they know so little after inhabiting this place for so long?" exclaimed Leela pointing at what she thought was the one she'd been bothering.

"They melt." sighed Mark as he stood, his knees popping loudly.

"They melt?" repeated Leela, with a disgusted look on her face.

"Yep," smirked Mark at the look of indignation on Leela's face, "Every time someone tries to scan them or study them, they melt into a puddle of goop and all the scientists get to look at is a bunch of molecules."

"Is what they melt into dangerous?" asked Leela glancing uneasily at a Keeper walking behind her dad.

"I don't know," replied Mark wrapping his arm around her shoulder and walking toward Hannah who just lit up a cigarette while looking at the wares of a salarian jeweler. "But, I'd rather you not push your luck. Dealing with C-Sec is one thing; an ambulance is another matter altogether."

"Everything all right?" asked Hannah; her curiosity moving from the jewelry on display to the tail end of the conversation.

"Fine," replied Mark before giving Leela another squeeze of the shoulder and joining his wife at the street vendor. Wrapping his arm around her, he bent down and gave her a tender kiss on the lips. "Whatcha looking at?" he asked after separating from her.

"Something rather exquisite," mumbled Hannah fondling a modest gold necklace that had a rather unusual stone set in it. "Leela come over here please."

"Why?" asked the teen; annoyed by the fact that she now had to participate.

"Just get your ass over here!" commanded Hannah snapping her fingers sharply. She heard her daughter let out a loud sigh followed by the slow shuffle of her feet. When she turned, she found her daughter slouched over, arms dangling lazily in front of her and her head hanging.

"Stand up straight for the love of God," Hannah snapped exasperated.

Snickering at her mother's frustration, Leela looked at the jewelry and couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't think it goes with my ensemble," smirked the teen showing off her ratty old heavy metal tee-shirt, baseball cap, and ripped jeans.

"It's not for you smart ass," snorted Hannah with a flick to her daughter's nose. "It's for your Aunt Rose."

"If it's for her why do you need me?' asked Leela rubbing the tip of her nose; trying to dull the pain.

"Because her neck is about as fat as your head," muttered Hannah before handing the necklace back to the vendor. "This one will do." After paying for the trinket, Hannah sighed happily and hooked her arm around Mark's.

"So you think she'll like it?" asked Mark as they continued their stroll through the market section of the ward.

"I'm a sure she will," nodded Hannah before quickly adding, "If not, she knows where she can stick it."

The three of them shared a laugh and wandered around the ward for a couple of more hours. Leela had to admit that it felt nice being able to talk to several people without anyone giving her a second glance. Most of the aliens barely paid her any mind unless they were employees in the stores and the humans simply thought she was some random kid out with her parents. It was a huge difference from the cramped space of the ships and she even allowed her mother to show her a few dresses.

"You know that if you buy me this, it's just going to sit in my closet and never get used?" asked Leela as Hannah held up a burgundy knee length dress.

"There's nothing wrong with having one or two dresses for a formal occasion," tutted Hannah hanging what was the tenth rejected outfit of the day. "You can't avoid having a social life forever."

"I never said I was going to avoid having a social life," commented Leela pulling out a long-sleeved tee-shirt and curling her lip at it in disgust, "I just need to find people to have a social life iwith/i."

"Well," said Hannah holding up a couple of dress shirts, "I can help..."

"No!" shouted Leela a little too loudly, drawing the attention of a few other shoppers. Pulling her hat down, Leela sidled over to her mother and whispered, "I don't need you to set me up with anyone."

"What are we whispering about?" asked a low, rumbling voice. Hannah and Leela jumped and turned around to find Mark holding a large bundle of clothes with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Jesus, Mark!" hissed Hannah slapping her husband on the arm. "You know not to sneak up on us like that!"

"Sorry," apologized the man, the blow not registering. "I heard Leela scream 'no' about something and I couldn't help but investigate."

"It's nothing to worry about," grunted Hannah picking out one more shirt, "Just another female Shepard being obstinate."

"Obstinate?"

"It means stubborn, Dad," whispered Leela noticing the strained look on her father's face.

"OH!" nodded Mark with after a moment, the look in his eyes telling both women that it was still taking a minute for him to process the use of the word. Finally, they saw the light click in his eyes and turning to Leela he asked, "What'd she do this time?"

As soon as the words left his mouth a familiar pain shot through his body as the steel toe of his wife's boot kicked his shin hard. Mark bit down on his lip, tears welling in his eyes as he shot a questioning look at his wife who was already storming out of the store a fresh cigarette in her mouth and a stream of curses pouring from her lips; earning her contemptuous looks by the parents of young children that she passed.

Two hours later, Hannah's anger still hadn't subsided. She'd said nothing throughout lunch, even when Mark had ordered her favorite non-alcoholic drink. Instead of drinking it Hannah just let the raspberry milkshake slowly melt while she picked at her club sandwich. Leela remained quiet as she messed with the baseball glove she planned on using when they headed to a park later. When lunch was finished, Mark led them to a nearby book shop in hopes of surprising Hannah, but she just sat down on a nearby bench and began going over some paperwork instead. Conceding to Hannah's refusal to join them, Mark and Leela entered the shop where the teenager instantly took off running into the stacks.

I Just like her mother /I he thought with a soft smile.

Sighing loudly, Mark decided it best not waste any time and began searching through the stacks himself. He never really saw much point in reading all the time. He'd gotten through most of his life without reading anything beyond what was required during school and training. He'd kept a few of his old files and books his father had given him from his own school days. These days, all he ever read were reports and books on military strategy and he was more than content with those. Hannah however, was another matter and he knew just what to look for.

Ducking under a low hanging light, Mark headed toward the section marked for classical literature and began browsing the stacks. Hannah was always a fan of old Earth literature and he figured that this would be a sure fire way to get back into her good graces. Finding a couple of books by her favorite authors, he still he had to be careful about what he purchased. While he and Hannah had decent investments set up and were fairly well off, books caught a much higher price outside of the Sol System as there were few people willing to deal in them. He'd gotten lucky when he'd passed by a volus who was reading one and had been willing to give him the location of the store. As he read thumbed through a thick tome containing the works of several philosophers, his ears caught hold of a conversation.

"So what do you think about this particular book?" he heard a familiar voice ask.

Slowly creeping around the corner, Mark made sure to keep a hold onto the books he'd chosen for Hannah and peered around the corner where he saw something he had thought he wouldn't witness for several more years. Despite his size, Mark was quite capable of hiding himself quite easily due to his years of training. Keeping himself hidden behind one of the shelves, he watched as his daughter carried on a conversation with an asari clerk.

"It seems to be an interesting topic," continued Leela gently thumbing the spine of a rather thick book.

"It is actually quite fascinating," added the clerk with a warm smile. "In fact it has actually helped me understand your species quite a bit."

"So you're saying that it'd actually be okay for me to buy?" asked Leela, a hopeful gleam in her eye

"Well, no." laughed the clerk when a disappointed look washed over Leela's face. "Do you mind?" she asked pointing at the book and holding out her hand for it.

Shaking her head, Leela stuck the book out to the clerk who instead moved a little closer to the teen. Her fingers gently rubbing against Leela's forearm as she took the book from the teen's hand. Mark couldn't help but notice that Leela was quite unfazed by the clerk's obvious flirtatious behavior as she slowly closed the gap between her and his daughter.

"While this book is one of my favorites, I will have to deny your purchase of it since you're...seventeen?" asked the clerk in a somewhat more sultry tone than Mark was comfortable with.

"Sixteen," corrected Leela, unaware of the suggestive brushes of the clerk's knee against her own or what the tone in her voice meant.

"Well if it makes you feel better, I'm only eighteen," answered the clerk reassuringly, "and I've just been allowed to read it."

"Why?" inquired Leela rather perplexed by this, "You work here. Shouldn't you be allowed to read whatever you want?"

"Well," smiled the clerk, sticking her finger a third of the way through the book and opening it, "take a look."

"Oh!" gasped Leela her eyes growing so wide that Mark had to stifle a laugh to keep from being noticed. "I see...well...that's uhh..." taking the book back from the clerk, Leela set it back on the shelf and coughed nervously hoping to ease the tension.

"You okay?" asked the clerk giggled as she pressed a seemingly innocent hand on Leela's bicep, her fingers wrapping gently around the toned muscle.

"Yeah." exhaled Leela after she'd regained her composure, "Just wasn't expecting it to be so….graphic."

"It is a bit startling; especially to someone so new to interacting with your species," the clerk purred.

"I guess you're right." chuckled, Leela running a hand through her hair, completely oblivious to the meaning behind evocative squeeze as the clerk let her arm go. Adjusting her hat, she turned to the clerk with a smile and asked, "Since I'm out of luck in buying that one, would you mind showing me a few of these other books on my list?"

"Of course," answered the clerk with a warm smile as she took Leela by the hand, leading her toward the books. "I definitely think I can help you find what you're looking for."

Remaining where he was, Mark watched them go and decided to immerse himself in a book based on some of the strategies employed by Napoleon. He was currently reading a chapter in which Napoleon had baited the Austrians and Russians by feigning a retreat and waiting for the cover of fog. It was a brilliant tactic and he made a note of it on his omni-tool when he noticed Leela appear from around the corner with wide smile on her face.

"So did you find anything interesting?" he asked closing his book with a light snap; his eyes looking at her expectantly.

"I found quite a few things on sale," beamed Leela holding up a stack of six books, "a few on Earth mythology and a few of those books that those kids ripped up a couple of years ago."

"None of that now," sighed Mark noticing a familiar darkness cross Leela's face. Setting his own books on the floor, he walked over and placed hand on her cheek and smiled, "That was then, Passerotto. Things have changed, you have changed."

"Not enough," scoffed Leela running a finger gently along the bridge of her nose; reminding her father of the still fresh memory.

"Maybe not, Leela." Mark said softly, running his thumb lovingly along the curved bone as well, "but things are looking up."

"What do you mean?" snorted Leela indignantly, her nose letting out a low whistle.

"Well," replied her dad, a smile on his face that was as gentle as his voice, "you're out of the apartment."

"Only because it would shut you and Mom up." mumbled the teen turning away from her father.

"True," chuckled Mark placing a hand on her shoulder, "but, I'd like to think there are other perks that have come with you stepping outside."

"Like what?" inquired Leela unsure of her father's meaning.

She was anxious about having conversations like this in public, but from the corner of her eye she saw her dad's finger rise up and point toward the counter at the clerk who was smiling at an asari and her kids who were checking out.

"The clerk?" Leela looked up at her dad skeptically. "What the hell does she have to do with anything?"

"You're kidding me, right?" asked Mark with a small amused smile upon his lips that quickly disappeared when he caught his wife's icy glare from across the way. "Okay, okay, calm down," chuckled, the N7 anxiously trying to find the right words to explain what had just happened, "I just meant that you, uhmmm…caught her interest."

Leela continued to study the clerk as she completed the other asari's transaction but saw nothing of what her father told her. She shook her head, rejecting the idea and looked back at her father.

"Of course she noticed me! It's her job to make like she cares about me," snorted Leela, eliciting an audible sigh of relief from Mark.

"That's not what I meant, Leela." groaned Mark, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Then what did you mean?" asked Leela, her eyes darting to the bookshelf while she waited for her dad to come up with an explanation.

"You really didn't notice?"

"Apparently not," whispered Leela nervously shifting from one foot to the other; fighting the urge to walk away from her dad growing more and more by the second. She heard her dad mutter something under his breath and looked up at him. "What did you just say?"

"I was kicking my ass for pissing your mom off," grumbled Mark running his fingers through his hair. A distressed look on his face as he whispered, "It'd be so much easier if she was in here."

"Why does Mom need to be here?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

Her mom was the last person Leela wanted to have in this conversation. It wasn't that she didn't love her mother, there was no question that she did; she just didn't know how to talk to her. Hannah always seemed to have some sort of barrier up and it made opening up dialogue with her incredibly difficult which is why Leela always went to her dad. The apparent discomfort on her dad's face was beginning to bother Leela, making her just as agitated as her father looked.

"Leela," started Mark after a few moments of strained silence, "Leela listen and don't take this the wrong way. But...shit..."

"Dad, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kiddo," answered Mark when he noticed the distressed look in his daughter's eyes. Taking a deep breath he reached out and gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and said rather quickly, "Leela, the clerk was flirting with you."

Leela's eyes widened to the size of coasters and her face turned a deep red, coaxing a deep rumbling, amused chuckle from her dad.

"H...how...are...wha...do I..." stammered the teen, her head turning so fast between her father and the clerk that it seemed to blur.

"Easy kid," smiled Mark taking her face in his hands, "Just breathe deeply and gather your thoughts."

Nodding, Leela closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled out from her mouth. She heard her dad's voice speaking gently to her as she continued the breathing exercises her psychiatrist had taught her. For the past several years she'd had anxiety issues and when she was younger had suffered from panic attacks. Most of it was because she felt she had to look over her shoulder most days when aboard the ships. Today was a new experience and it was only thanks to her dad's calming words and the breathing techniques that she didn't pass out and wake up in an ambulance.

"Okay," exhaled Leela, opening her eyes after a few deep breaths, "I'm good."

"You sure?" asked Mark resting his right pinky and ring finger on her throat.

"I'm sure, Dad." smirked the teen knowing he was checking her pulse.

"All right," nodded Mark after letting his fingers rest for a couple of moments before removing them.

"So what do I do?" asked Leela once her dad had let her go.

Mark couldn't help but laugh at the question and scratched his head saying, "I honestly don't know, Kiddo."

"Really?"

"Oh lose the itone/i." snipped Mark, when he realized that Leela started to sound exactly like her mother did when he irritated Hannah.

"Sorry," replied Leela with a small wink. "I just thought you'd know what to do."

"Well, Leela I do and I don't," mumbled Mark giving the clerk a quick glance.

"You sure it's just not your brain being obstinate?" grinned Leela with a wink at her dad.

"Tone." scolded Mark; a toothy grin betraying the disciplinary tone of his voice.

"Sorry, Dad." chuckled Leela giving him a gentle shove. "It was too easy."

"I bet," remarked the man gently shoving her back. They stood in the aisle for a few moments, Leela playing with the cover of the top book while Mark wrung his hands trying to figure out what to say. Finally after a few minutes Mark said, "Leela, listen very closely to what I'm about to say to you because I want to make sure you understand what I'm trying to say."

"Okay," said Leela a bit concerned at her dad's uncharacteristically calm tone, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." sighed, the soldier before turning to his daughter and asked, "You know that your mother and I love you right? More than anything in existence?"

"I know, Dad." nodded Leela, her eyes locking with her dad's, confused by what this had to do with their conversation. "But what does that have to do with the clerk?'

After taking a moment to look over the shelves, Mark dropped down, set Leela's books down on the ground and said in a hushed voice, "It's not so much the clerk, herself but more what the clerk did."

"I don't get it." Replied Leela, her nose scrunching as she tried to discern what her father meant.

"What I mean to say is," Mark took another deep breath and placed a hand on her cheek, "Leela, ever since you were born you've been the most important thing in mine and your mother's life. You're the reason she went back to the Alliance after you were born. You're the reason we've done a lot of things that we're not proud of and things you're never going to know about us. For nine years we thought we were raising a son, but instead it turns out we were just raising a tomboy." They both laughed at the comment and Mark gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead before continuing, "I know that we've had to hide this side of you for a long time, but you won't be able to hide it for much longer."

"What does that have to do with Mom?" sneered Leela, as her father pressed his hand against his chest in reference to what she'd been experiencing lately. "You want her to teach me how to act girly?"

"That's not what I'm saying, Leela." began Mark, gently.

"Then what iare/i you saying?" snapped Leela, her voice getting the attention of a nearby human employee who scowled at them. Leela apologized and whispered, "You want her to dress me up like a doll so that she can show me off at parties?"

"That's not what your mother is doing when she does that," hissed Mark, catching Leela by surprise, "You know your mom's mom bailed when she was a kid and her dad was hardly around because of how much he worked."

"I know that, Dad," Leela said softly, afraid to say anything else.

"Good, because I want you to know that when it seems like she's prying it's only because she's worried and she wants to talk to you but she doesn't know how. She's trying to help you because it's getting to the point where I can't," Mark's voice began to crack as he continued. "I know it's a hard concept for you to grasp but there are things I won't be able to talk to you about any more. You're going to start needing her more than you'll need me because she will have answers that I won't."

An uncomfortable silence grew between them. Mark was scared he'd done more harm than good. Ever since she was born, she'd been more attached to him than her mother. It wasn't for lack of trying on Hannah's part; it was just that he and Leela got along easier than mother and daughter did. He wished things were different but they weren't. So he stood there watching the strained look on her face until finally she nodded sullenly in defeat.

"All right, Dad," answered Leela rubbing the back of her neck like her parents did when stressed. "I guess I can start talking to Mom a bit more."

"Thank God," sighed Mark earning himself a punch in the shoulder. "OW!" he exclaimed rubbing the bone. "What is it with you and your mother hitting me today?"

"It's because you're being an ass," grinned Leela giving her dad another punch in the shoulder, "and that's for rubbing it."

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Mark, standing up with a loud groan. "So, are we good?" he asked looking down at his kid who was playing with the spine of the book he'd been reading.

"I'm good, Dad." replied Leela, with less enthusiasm than Mark had hoped.

"All right," conceded Mark knowing it would be unwise to press the issue, "I get it; conversation's over. So, how about a new topic?"

"Like what?" inquired Leela as she shifted the books from one arm to the other.

"Well," replied Mark with an overly contemplative scratch to his chin, "I'm rather curious about that book you and the clerk were talking about."

"Wha...what?" stammered Leela nearly dropping load in her arms.

"The book, Leela." ordered Mark pointing at the shelf he had found them talking at. Handing the books to her dad, Leela trudged around the corner while Mark waited patiently for her to return. He heard her rummaging through the shelves for a few moments before picking up on her footsteps. When she appeared around the corner, Mark noticed a large book in her hand and took it from her.

"We are definitely buying this one," he laughed lightly when he read the title.

Once the books were paid for and the address of the apartment given for delivery, Mark and Leela exited the store only to find Hannah in a heated discussion with a large dark skinned man in Alliance attire and six military police officers standing behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

This is a work of fiction and many of the characters that appear in the Mass Effect involved are the property of EA and Bioware.

Title: Chrysalis

Game: Mass Effect

Rating: M (for some language and certain scenes)

Part 3

"This is fucking bullshit and you know it!" barked Hannah, flicking ash in the air. "After everything Mark and I have done for the Alliance. Hell, you trained with him. You're the godfather of our child and you go and pull this?"

"I know this looks bad, Hannah but I'm just following orders," responded the man, unfazed by her remarks. "I am grateful to Mark for everything he did for me in and out of training, but I didn't have a choice in this matter."

"You did have a choice, David." snapped Hannah shoving the butt of her cigarette into the metal container she held. "You could have said no."

"What's going on?" asked Mark casting a furtive glance at his friend.

"Mark," smiled David sticking his hand out to his friend, "Good to see you."

"Same to you, David." replied Mark sincerely. "Though I'm a little concerned as to why you've got my wife even more pissed off than she already is."

"Well that can wait for a moment, Mark." answered David casting a glance at the figure behind his friend. "I believe you need to introduce me to the young lady standing behind you." This earned him a laugh from the teen and opening his arms he smiled, "Get over here."

"Hey Uncle David," smiled Leela as she stepped into the hug after setting her glove down on the nearby bench.

"It's been too long," laughed the man giving her a gentle squeeze. "Let me get a look at you."

Breaking the hug, Leela removed her hat and fluidly slipped into an at-ease stance as if waiting for a morning inspection.

"Looking good, Child," he remarked giving her arm a gentle squeeze. His eyes widened slightly at the feeling of the muscle beneath the skin. "Well, that's a nice surprise," he remarked, "Glad to see you've been keeping up with your preparations to join the Alliance."

"She's a Shepard," spat Hannah annoyed at David's surprise at the condition Leela's body was in. "Any decision she makes, she goes in wholeheartedly."

"Hannah, please." groaned David looking at the red headed woman, "I told you I'm simply following orders."

"Orders to do what exactly?" asked Mark skeptically. "It's not like you to be so secretive with us David."

"Well this isn't an ordinary situation, Mark. It requires a bit more tact than just meeting up with you for drinks."

Reaching into his back pocket, David pulled out a small data pad which instantly caught the attention of Hannah and Mark as Leela watched on curiously.

"For your eyes only," he said to Mark, cautiously extending his arm.

Taking the pad, Mark hit a few buttons and waited for the screen to load. It became clear to Leela that something was wrong when she saw her dad's eyes darting back and forth along screen; his brow furrowing with each passing second. When he finished, Mark slowly handed the pad back to his friend as he shook his head. Leela watched as her dad's face screwed up with an unfamiliar fire in his eyes as he began to pace back and forth shaking his fist while his mouth slowly formed a string of words under his breath. She was about to ask her dad what the problem was but her mother got to him first.

"Mercutio," Hannah coaxed taking her husband by the forearm, "Mercutio, look at me."

His mouth stopped but instead of focusing on his wife, he turned his attention back to Anderson.

"Did you know?'" he growled pulling away from his wife; his boots thundering as he stomped toward his friend.

"Mark, I don't think this is..." David began.

"DID YOU KNOW!?"

Several people stopped and looked at the two men. David Anderson was by no means a small man, but by comparison he may as well have been a child. Leela watched the silent battle of wills play out in front of her. The silent waves emanating off of them were almost tangible; David's face set like stone while Mark's twitched with a silent fury. Nearby, C-Sec officers watched quietly while the military police David brought with him shifted their weight in preparation to strike should things get out of hand. After several minutes though, they and the officers relaxed as David nodded.

"How long?" asked Mark, his voice shaking with anger.

"When they gave me my orders to bring you in," replied David, his voice as steady as the look on his face.

"When?' ordered Mark, his voice elevating slightly again.

"This morning." answered David, his voice remaining firm.

Mark's hands continued to shake, his lip curled as he tried to fight back the urge to punch his friend. The friend who he'd fought and bled with during training. The friend who'd saved his life during Shanxi, who he'd designated the one person he could trust with his family, should he die. This wasn't the David he knew. The David he knew would have warned him immediately once he'd gotten his orders.

"All right," exhaled Mark, his gaze softening slightly, "I believe you. But them," he pointed at marines David had brought with him, "they go or I find my own way there."

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant but..." one of the non-descript MP's started.

"DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK?!" bellowed Mark causing the young sergeant closest to David to nearly jump out of her skin.

When she didn't answer, Mark turned his eyes to her and snapped, "WELL?!"

At a loss, the rookie MP looked to David for guidance but snapped back to Mark clearly startled when he barked at her.

"I asked you a question not him! You will address me."

"No, Lieutenant." answered the sergeant in barely more than a squeak.

"Speak up, Sergeant!" Mark barked again.

"No, Lieutenant!" shouted the sergeant, immediately moving to attention.

"No." confirmed Mark his eyes zeroing in on the girl. "No, I did not," his voice was slowly becoming a threatening growl that even scared Leela. "So what the hell gives you the right to address me without asking permission?"

"I...uhh..." the MP stuttered.

"Okay Mark," chided David stepping between the sergeant and his friend. "You made your point. There's no reason to overreact."

"Really?" hissed Mark turning his attention back to his friend. "You show up, bringing me this farce of a summons with military police and iI'm/i overreacting?"

"A little bit," replied David, giving his friend a disapproving look, "and right now, the way you're acting completely justifies the brass for sending them with me. So if you want me to send them away, I suggest you calm the hell down or I will have them subdue you."

"Fine," snorted Mark with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Though I'd love to see them try and take me down."

With a begrudging nod, David turned to the officers with him and gave them an explanation as to what was to happen.

"Dad? Are you going to be okay?" asked Leela, stepping next to him.

"I don't know," answered Mark with a sad smile and a shrug. Giving his daughter a gentle hug he turned his attention to his wife and said, "Try and have a good time while I'm gone."

"Actually, Mark..." began David once he'd sent his associates away.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me, David," hissed Hannah. "What the hell do they need me for?"

"Mission parameters," sighed David apologetically.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" shrieked Hannah. "We're on vacation!"

"Mom it's okay."

Hannah and Mark turned back to Leela with surprised looks on their faces.

"Leela?" they both asked in amazement.

"It's okay," repeated Leela smiling at the looks on their faces. "I'm used to it."

"Leela?" asked Hannah stepping forward and holding her by the arms. "Are you sure? I can always tell them..."

She stopped when Leela's hand rested on her shoulder and both knew the unspoken answer. Smiling, Hannah opened her omni-tool and hit a few buttons.

"These are directions on how to use the transit system for when we meet up for dinner and I'm also sending some credits to your account. Don't forget your glove," she said pointing to where it rested on the bench. Taking a moment to breathe, she looked up and gave Leela kiss on the forehead. "For the love of God stay safe."

"I know, Mom," laughed Leela patting her pocket, "Besides I got my knife, so I'll just find a park or an arcade to kill some time in."

"Okay," smiled Hannah before giving her a kiss on the cheek. Mark just smiled at their daughter and gave her a quick hug before leaving with David who shot her an apologetic look.

"Okay," smiled Hannah before giving her a kiss on the cheek. Mark just smiled at their daughter and gave her a quick hug before leaving with David who shot her an apologetic look.


	4. Chapter 4

This is a work of fiction and many of the characters that appear in the Mass Effect involved are the property of EA and Bioware.

Title: Chrysalis

Game: Mass Effect

Rating: M (for some language and certain scenes)

Part 4

She watched as their air car took off and remained standing in the middle of the crowd for a few more minutes soaking in the noise and anonymity. It was the first time she'd ever truly been alone anywhere. Other than the ships when she was old enough to remain in their quarters alone, she was always around someone she knew. A familiar face or someone she could at least address and not receive an irritated glare at for not knowing where the nearest bathroom was. Deciding it best not to bother any C-Sec officers, Leela made her way through the crowd in hopes of finding a transport when she noticed a volus talking with what looked like an asari. When she approached it, she noticed that it wasn't an asari but instead some sort of virtual intelligence program. Just before she walked up to it, the volus finished what it needed. When she approached, Leela couldn't help but jump as it addressed her.

"Welcome to Kira Ward. My name is Avina and I will be your guide."

"First time?" asked a voice behind her.

Turning, Leela saw a human boy around her age standing there with a baseball bat and glove attached to the handle slung over his shoulder. He stood about six inches taller than her and was almost as dark as her Uncle David with bright blue eyes. His face was slightly weather-worn and kind but that didn't make her any more comfortable.

"Uh...yeah," she replied in almost a whisper while taking a cautious step backward.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked, a bit perplexed by her reaction.

"I don't know you," Leela said bluntly, casting him a disapproving look. "So excuse me for being a bit skeptical if a random person just arbitrarily started a conversation with me."

"Good point," replied the boy, adequately chastised.. Looking down at his hand and then back up at Leela, he rubbed his hand on his pant leg before sticking it out.

"Name's Neil!" he said proudly, trying again.

Leela stared down at the hand and back up at its owner. She'd never really had someone introduce themselves to her in such a manner outside of military people she met. Most people looked at her in shock or some amount of repugnance when they met her or heard her voice. Now she didn't know what to do. It was the first time someone her own age was genuinely delighted to meet her. Sticking her hand out she awkwardly took his and gave it a quick shake before turning on her heel in the hopes of finding a C-Sec officer to help her.

"Hey!" called Neil chasing after her. She didn't bother to look back at him and continued on her way through the crowd when he appeared out of nowhere with the same smile on his face, "You didn't tell me your name."

"Does it matter?" she asked through gritted teeth. "You don't know me and I don't know you."

"Well maybe I want to get to know you."

This stopped Leela in her tracks. Removing her hat she brushed her hair out of her face and glared at the boy, "Why?"

"Why what?" asked Neil; disturbed by her coldness.

"You're pretty stupid aren't you?" scoffed Leela tapping her hat against her leg.

"No," smiled Neil, pointing at her hat, "it's just that when I see somebody with baseball gear I can't help but notice."

Looking down at the hat and then at Neil, Leela asked, "Do you even know who this team is?"

"Let me see it," he asked sticking out his hand only for Leela to defiantly put it back on her head.

"You can see the emblem well enough from here," she huffed taking a step back.

"Okay, okay," Neil said gently backing off, "I'm sorry. I just don't get to meet people from Earth that often."

"What makes you think I'm from Earth?" Leela snorted, painfully aware that the slight twitch of his lips was from her whistling nose.

"Well," began Neil, a small amused smile playing on his lips hearing the light whistle, "Most people I know who live in the outer colonies don't know much about teams like that."

"So?" rebuked Leela, annoyed by his assumptions, "Maybe I have a parent who grew up on Earth and kept it."

"That isn't it," smirked Neil setting the end of his bat on the floor. "A hat like that could easily cover costs to get passage on a ship. Most people willing to leave the Alliance or start a new life in the outer systems would sell that thing in a heartbeat. Which means," his voice trailed off as his face slowly moved closer, "on top of that brand new glove you're holding, you either stole the hat from a nearby shop or you're here with your parents and they have cash."

Before Leela could respond, they heard a voice shout out at them. Looking past the teen, Leela noticed a group huddled near a lift. She counted four humans, two of them girls and two boys all around her age; two asari, a turian male, a volus, and a salarian. Every one of them holding some amount of baseball gear and glaring at them impatiently.

"WHAT?!" Neil shouted over the din of the crowd, drawing an unseen smirk from Leela.

From the crowd, an asari and a human boy that looked exactly like a shaggy haired Neil broke away from the group and approached them. Though it was only her first day on the Citadel, Leela was certain groups like this were rare. Especially a group comprised of teenage humans and a turian.

"Jesus, man," exclaimed the doppelganger who'd interrupted their conversation, "you think you could be on time for once."

"Oh shove it, Harry." snorted the other twin, "I've been trying to find our ninth for the pick-up game."

"Looks to me like you've been up to other things," smirked the asari winking at Leela. "My brother hasn't been bothering you, has he?"

"I didn't do anything Patty!" groaned Neil gripping the handle of his bat tighter. "I saw her standing at Avina; noticed the ball cap and her mitt, and thought she'd be able to play. That's all."

"This true?" asked Patty, bending the glove in her hand absentmindedly.

"I don't know," answered Leela, "You interrupted us before he even had a chance to ask. He seemed more interested in my hat."

"I just wanted to see if she knew what she was wearing," retorted Neil casting a nervous glance at his brother and sister.

"Yeah right," whispered Harry turning his attention from his twin to Leela. "So can you play or not?"

"It's been a couple of years, but I've played catcher and second base," replied Leela nervously.

"Lucky for us then," grinned Neil while bouncing a baseball on his hand like a resin bag. "Our second basemen ended up leaving the Citadel last week."

"Doesn't matter if she iknows/i how to play," huffed Harry giving Leela a disapproving glance, "I'm more concerned as to whether or not she ican/i play."

"I bet I can out hit your sorry ass," snapped Leela, her eyes narrowing at Harry. Noticing the change in his brother's stance, Neil stepped between the two of them and set the end of his bat on the ground, drawing an imaginary line between the two of them.

"All right you two," said Patty with a nervous chuckle. "You can hold your pissing contest on the field. That is," she cast a hopeful glance at Leela, "if you'll join us?"

"Seems I don't have a choice," grumbled Leela, scratching her head.

"Sweet!" cheered Neil, earning a suspicious look from a couple of C-Sec officers. "Sorry!" he apologized almost instantly. Returning his attention back to his brother, sister, and Leela, Neil swung his bat over his shoulders a broad grin on his face.

"Fine," conceded Harry with a wave of his hand before turning toward his friends who were all growing impatient at the delay Leela's presence was causing.

Leela kept pace with the Patty and Neil her hands nervously trembling as she approached the group. Seemingly familiar scornful eyes fell on her but the feeling she got from them was different than the looks she received aboard the ships. This time they had a reason to look at her in such a way because she was keeping them from their game and that didn't help her feel any more comfortable around them.

"Who's the female?" growled the turian as he agitatedly threw his ball into his glove.

"Ummm...," hummed Neil scratching the back of his neck and casting a nervous glance at Leela; realizing he'd never got her name, "What is your name?"

A few hours later, the whole group sat in a restaurant laughing as Fedor; the salarian and catcher of the group, regaled them with a story about how he'd nearly blown up the physics lab at the school where he was teaching. The experiment had involved pushing the limits of the structural integrity of a ship before it would collapse in on itself within a mass effect field. The intent had been to help create stronger, lighter materials for the hulls of ships. However, Fedor's calculations had been off which had resulted in a near loss of the containment field and almost half the planet they'd been on.

"That explains a lot," chuckled Cato biting into what looked like a slab of meat.

"What explains what exactly?" remarked Fedor turning his attention to Cato.

"It explains why you've been labeled a hack throughout the teaching community," Cato said smugly.

At this, Fedor jumped to his feet, fist cocked back only to be pulled back into his seat; held in place by a small biotic field.

"Settle down you two," cooed Chloris, the second asari in their group, their left fielder and Fedor's fiancée, "we've had enough excitement for today."

"That's an understatement," mumbled Harry as he applied a fresh bag of ice to his swollen eye.

Leela was also beginning to feel the bruises begin to form all over her body. Their game hadn't ended the way Leela had expected it too. The team they were playing against was comprised completely of humans. All of them had a chip on their shoulder about having to play against a team like the one Leela had decided to play with. It was strange to see the contemptuous looks normally thrown so casually at her used on others. So she had no problem joining in the fight that erupted when one of the opposing players decided it would be funny to play dirty.

At first, it had been the occasional close call with what was supposedly e a wild pitch too close for comfort. As the game progressed, they slipped even further down in runs and their tactics grew even dirtier. One of them had elbowed Harry in the eye as he was rounding second. Another beaned Neil in the ribs, Parveen their center fielder received a shoulder to the chest as she ran to first, while Patty had nearly been head-butted by the catcher as she ran toward home. While they could have easily fallen to the level of their opponents, Leela and the others chose to take the moral high ground. Until one of them decided to do something unforgiveable.

Parveen was tall and lanky, but well-coordinated and fast. She was a little older than the rest of the group at seventeen and like Cato, would be joining the military in a year. She was definitely the easiest to spot out of all the team members but there was someone even more conspicuous than her. Ruchi, her little sister, was ten years old and a child prodigy. She adored her big sister and took an interest in everything she did, including baseball. Though smaller, she was an excellent player and a hell of a first baseman. While the older kids had no problem with the opposing team's tactics, it came as a huge shock to Leela and the others when one of the opposing players thought it would be funny to shove the young girl so hard, she flew several feet back and dropped the ball.

Once it happened, all hell broke loose. Harry came charging off the bench and tackled the guy who attacked Ruchi. Parveen came rushing in from centerfield; clothes lining the opposing team's shortstop as he tried to stop her from coming to her sister and boyfriend's aid. The other team members, except for Ludis the volus who acted as the team manager, all joined in the fight. Neil and Patty had their hands full with two incredibly large players that made up the opposing team's pitcher and catcher team. Leela was stuck trying to deal with the short stop and second basemen with Cato helping her. Chloris and Fedor ended up trying to help Parveen who was having problem with the rest of the opposing team members. It was a tough fight, especially with Leela, Chloris, and Patty all holding back with using their biotics. Although, when an opposing player tried to use a bat on Parveen, Leela sent him and two of his friends flying with a biotic blast. Once they saw this along with Chloris and Patty powering up their own biotics, they bailed without even grabbing their gear.

Even though Leela and her friends were victorious, none of them felt particularly good about the situation getting so out of control. Every single one of them was covered in bruises and they were lucky to have left the scene before C-Sec showed up to question them. Still, the situation didn't dampen any of their spirits and they all retreated to a nearby restaurant to relax and enjoy the rest of their afternoon before returning home. They were a fun group and Leela was beginning to regret she'd even thought about bailing on them, until she remembered she only had a few more weeks on the Citadel.

"So, Leela," began Ruchi from across the table, breaking Leela from her thoughts. "What do you plan on doing when you turn eighteen?"

Taking a sip of her soda, Leela returned the smile the girl gave her and said, "I'm going to join the Alliance like my parents."

"Both your parents are Alliance?" asked Cato, his red mandibles twitching curiously. "I thought you humans had regulations against fraternization?"

"Well," sighed Leela after another sip of soda, "my parents were married before they joined the Alliance."

"But doesn't that create a conflict of interest?" asked Harry swallowing a mouthful of his salad.

"Normally it would," Leela explained, "but my mom's missions are normally with Alliance brass and my dad's an N7 so..."

"Your father is an N7?!" exclaimed Parveen through a mouth full of food, cutting off Leela.

"Umm...yeah," replied Leela feeling the blood rush to her ears, suddenly wondering if she'd said something wrong.

"Can I meet him?!"

"What?!" coughed Leela after Parveen's request sent her soda down the wrong pipe. "Why do you want to meet him?"

"Parveen's got a hard on for military stuff, even more so than Cato." chuckled Harry, getting a dirty look from the turian. "Oh don't give me that look, it's all you two ever talk about when you aren't focused on trying not to flunk out of school."

"Can it Harry," growled Parveen with an elbow to her boyfriend's ribs before turning her attention back to Leela. "So can I meet him? Please?"

"Settle down, Parveen," wheezed Ludis after removing the straw he'd inserted into his induction port. "I'm certain that her father's influence will have no bearing on whether or not you will be able to join the program."

"Shove it up your ass you overgrown beach ball," huffed Parveen settling back into her seat. "Or I'll make sure you the next fight we get into you won't be able to hide from."

"You wouldn't dare," wheezed Ludis leaning toward her.

"Try me little man," hissed the girl, glowering and leaning over the sphere that was their manager.

"Can you two please quit your pissing contest?" groaned Neil from between Fedor and Patty. "You're making my head feel like it's been beat on by a nine-kilo sledgehammer instead of a mallet."

"What's the matter big guy?" teased Patty with a gentle poke to her brother's shoulder. "The big bad pitcher wound your pride when he punched you?"

"Go jump out of an air lock," he hissed at his sister before turning his attention to Leela and Chloris. "It's your fault that we're all in this condition."

"OUR FAULT?!" gasped all three girls. "How is it our fault?"

"All three of you have biotics," snapped Neil accusingly, "and none of you used them! Why?!"

"Because I'm better at hand to hand," Leela said matter-of-factly, chewing on her straw, a small smirk on her lips at the pained look in his face.

"I'm almost to the matron stage so my powers are constantly in flux," answered Chloris with a wink to Fedor who rolled his eyes, but gave her a smile none the less.

"And Mom and Dad would kill me if they found out I'd used my biotics on humans." chided Patty with a flick to her brother's nose. "Besides I'm a hundred and seventeen which means one of us has to be the adult when things like this happen."

"Really?" snorted Fedor winking at Harry. "You got into a fist fight with a bunch of teenagers. How does that make you any more of an adult than the rest of us?"

"You're seventeen," scoffed Penny throwing a fry from Neil's plate at the salarian, "and about to get married to someone almost three times my age. Who are you to lecture me on acting like an adult?"

"She's got you there love," chuckled Chloris running a finger along one of his horns. "You aren't getting any younger."

"Oh please," huffed Fedor sipping his soup, "I'm allowed some sort of outlet that doesn't involve having to work on equations in and figuring out trans-galactic flight or dark energy fields."

"I suppose so," Chloris sighed disappointedly as she slowly ran a finger along the length of Fedor's left horn. "I'm just heartbroken you think this is the only extracurricular activity you feel can relieve you of stress."

Leela watched curiously as Chloris' fingers slowly wrapped around the tip of his horn and began stroking it gently. She was about to ask what was going on when she noticed that everyone else was gathering their belongings. Harry asked their server for the check and some containers for their leftovers.

"So we still on for the vid tomorrow?" asked Parveen as she helped Ruchi put her food into a container.

"You know we are," chimed Harry, Neil, and Patty perfectly in sync.

"Our parents leave tomorrow morning for some trade conference on Thessia," explained Neil packing up his own leftovers. "So you guys can come over afterwards."

"Can I come?" asked Ruchi, eager to see what her sister and their friends got up to when she wasn't around.

"Sorry, Midget." smiled Harry picking up his and Parveen's food before taking the disappointed girl by the hand. "But, this is a teenage party and I'm not sure your parents would approve of you being out so late with us."

Hearing the child's disappointed moan, Leela couldn't help but smile as she watched Parveen chase after the pair of them. Though the look on her face told her that Harry had done something with the check she didn't like. Slowly, she said her goodbyes to them and returned to chewing on her straw wondering why Neil was lingering behind the others.

"So..." he asked scratching the back of his neck.

"So what?" she laughed dipping the straw into the soda and taking a small sip.

"You want to come with us to the vid tomorrow?" he asked in a nervous rush.

Leela looked up at him in surprise, thankful she wasn't in mid-sip which could have had disastrous results.

"What?" she asked, dumbfounded by the invitation.

"Now who's being stupid?" he laughed. "I asked if you wanted to join us for the vid tomorrow and maybe come over afterwards. Totally up to you," he added with a wave of his hands, "Just thought you'd like to come since you've basically been inducted into the group."

"Ummmm..." hummed Leela thinking over how best to respond. "I'm only going to be here for a few more weeks," she explained after a few moments.

"So?" chuckled Neil picking up his stuff. "You got the shit kicked out of you defending people you barely know. I'd say no matter how long you're here for, you're stuck with us."

"I guess I am." answered Leela with a warm laugh. Taking a moment, she pulled her hat off and looked into his eyes; nodding, "Yeah, I'd like to. I just need to talk to my parents."

"Wise move," replied the boy before opening his omni-tool. "This is everyone's information, except for Ruchi's. I talked to them when you were in the bathroom to see if it was okay and they all said it was fine. If you don't want to talk to me, you can just get ahold of whoever makes you the most comfortable."

"Thanks," she said softly, opening her own omni-tool, Leela connected to Neil's and watched as her contact list more than doubled for the first time in her life. She felt a wave of warmth spread throughout her body.

"Okay," sighed Neil, a bit more flustered than he was a moment ago, "I better get going before the others catch a transit without me."

"If they haven't already." smirked Leela, putting her hat back on.

"You may be right," laughed Neil sticking his fist out. "See ya tomorrow?"

"Damn right you will," she confirmed with a smile and a small pounding of her own fist against his.

When he was gone, she leaned back in her chair, chewing on the frayed end of her straw. The pain in her arms and back from the fight was slowly beginning to fade away and she could feel a smile beginning to grow on her face. Today had been a good day, one of the best in her life except for the fight of course, and she couldn't wait for...

"Looks like the cat finally caught the canary."

"Holy shit!" gasped Leela nearly falling out of her chair as her mother's pale scarred face appeared above hers.

"What are you doing here?"

Pulling out a chair and sitting, Mark stretched out his legs and pulled up his omni-tool.

"It's quite simple, oh child of mine." smirked her father, pulling up a map of the ward they were in, "We can track your omni-tool."

"You lojacked me?!"

"I wouldn't say 'lojack'." laughed Hannah waving over a nearby server. "It's more like we didn't tell you that your omni-tool came with the program pre-installed."

"Where's the trust?" muttered Leela setting her glass out for the server to pick up.

"We trust you," laughed her dad putting in an order for an indian pale ale, "we just don't trust others."

"I thought you said this was a safe ward?" inquired his daughter, opening up a menu for the first time since she'd ordered her drink.

"Saf-ier/i," corrected her mother ordering a pot of tea, "that's still no reason for you not to be cautious."

"Well I was safe," grunted Leela deciding on a meal that would hopefully be as good as it looked.

"We saw," laughed her dad setting his menu back down and resting his chin on his fist.

"What do you mean, you saw?" stammered Leela; the blood rushing back to her ears.

"Well, that depends," snickered Hannah, running a finger along the huge scars adorning her right cheek, "We could say that we merely noticed a large group of teenagers wandering out of the entrance to the restaurant."

"Or?" grumbled Leela, knowing what her mother was going to say next.

"Or..." laughed Hannah pouring herself a cup of tea from her freshly arrived pot, "we could say that we were hiding at the entrance watching you and your little friends have the time of your lives."

"Of course you watched," groaned Leela, leaning her head over the back of her chair. When the waitress brought her glass, Leela accepted it and raising it, announced, "You may begin your interrogation!"

For thirty minutes, Leela sat through her parents questions; how she met the group, Parveen and Ruchi's parents being high profile politicians, Neil and Harry's mom marrying Patty's a couple of years prior, Ludis being a total ass when it came to expenses on the team's equipment, and Cato's joining the group after watching Neil and Harry teach Patty how to play over a year ago.

"What about that asari girl and the salarian?" asked Mark draining the last of his beer and wiping a bit of foam from his upper lip.

"Fedor and Chloris?" Leela biting into the salad she had ordered along with her meal.

"Which is which?" inquired Hannah between bites of a dinner roll.

"Fedor is the salarian. He's seventeen and works at a university here in applied physics."

"And Chloris?" asked Mark as he opened up his second bottle of beer.

"She's a weapons dealer and Fedor's fiancée," replied Leela with a shrug before taking another bite of her salad.

"Weapons dealer?" asked Mark, his eyebrow twitching in curiosity.

"No." interjected Hannah firmly and flicking her husband's ear.

"Why not?" whined Mark turning to his wife, sticking out his lower lip but failing in his attempt to make it tremble.

"Put that thing away before I cut it off," threatened Hannah as she sprayed her husband with a few drops of tea from her spoon. "You just upgraded your equipment and you don't need any new toys."

"Oh you're one to talk, Mrs. 'I need a new back massager.'"

Hannah's face went from its usually pale shade to bright red as she growled, "You weren't complaining last night when..."

She stopped short when their waitress reappeared; a young human girl of about twenty. The waitress was clearly annoyed that Leela was still occupying her table but set down their food and refilled their drinks.

"You were saying?" grinned, Mark dipping a piece of his steak into the broken egg yolks on his plate.

"Shut up," snipped Hannah, the small smirk on her face betraying the severity in her voice. "This isn't the time or the place for such a discussion."

"Like that's ever stopped you before," chuckled her husband with a quick wink.

"Well, that part I won't deny," agreed Hannah after swallowing a bite of her dinner. "But unlike you," continued the red headed soldier leaning in closer to her husband and whispering in his ear, "I'm just more skilled at knowing when and how to use my tongue."

"I thought you enjoyed my clumsy tongue?" whispered Mark placing a gentle kiss on his wife's lips.

"I do," smirked Hannah with a flick to her husband's nose, "and maybe tonight you can..."

"Whatever you two are talking about, please stop. The way you're acting makes me want to vomit."

"Says the girl who was just fawning over some boy she just met," reproached Mark before dodging a wadded up napkin. "Watch it young lady or I'll have your mother set you up on a date with that clerk from the book store."

"I'm sorry," blinked Hannah casting a look at her daughter whose face was slowly turning the color of her hair. "What clerk?"

"I hate you so much right now," growled Leela, glaring daggers at her father who merely shrugged and went back to his meal. Her mother promptly began her second interrogation of the evening.


	5. Chapter 5

This is a work of fiction and many of the characters that appear in the Mass Effect involved are the property of EA and Bioware.

Title: Chrysalis

Game: Mass Effect

Rating: M (for some language and certain scenes)

Part 5

Leela was feeling bone tired. It was after midnight according to her clock and she'd been at it for almost three hours now. The bruises that were forming on her back were finally taking their toll. Stretching her arms above her head, Leela shook her head trying to clear the sleepy cobwebs and tired ache that threatened to take over.

iCome on, just two more problems and you can go to bed,/i she told herself.

Rubbing her eyes, she turned her attention back to the console and stared at the equation she'd been stuck on for the last fifteen minutes. She always hated physics. It was one of her worst subjects but mandatory for her to get her graduation certificate. She'd soldier on even if it meant she'd go without sleep. Pulling up the example the program had given her, she stared at it and her equation blankly, finally throwing her stylus against the wall with a frustrated grunt.

"Fuck it," she groaned just as she heard a knock at her door, "Yeah?"

"Can I come in?" asked Hannah through the door.

"It's open."

The door hissed open. Hannah appeared dressed in a pair of sweats, a tee-shirt, and her husband's oversized bathrobe. In her hands, she had a small tray laden with snacks and an all too familiar smile on her face that told Leela she'd been wise to lock herself in her room once they returned from the restaurant.

"Thought you might be hungry," she said setting the tray down on the desk. "How's it going?"

"Shitty," Leela grumbled taking a huge bite out of one of the sandwiches her mother had brought. "I can't seem to figure out this problem."

"May I?" asked Hannah after a quick glance at the screen.

"Go ahead," Leela sighed taking another bite.

Turning the console toward her, Hannah glanced at the example Leela had pulled up and then back at her daughter's work. Pulling out a spare stylus from one of the desk drawers, she waved her daughter forward.

"Show me where you're stuck and I'll help you solve this so long as you get the next one, deal?"

Eager to get this out of the way, Leela set her sandwich aside and watched as her mother explain the concept of the problem step by step. She mentally kicked herself for not realizing how simple it was to solve. When her mother was done explaining the steps, Leela moved onto the next equation. Hannah chewed on a couple of chips while she waited.

"Okay, I think I got it," Leela sighed handing the stylus back to her mother.

"I'll be the judge of that," teased her mother stepping toward the console. After about five minutes, she gave an approving nod and squeezed Leela's shoulder, "Very good sweetheart."

"Well it's easy when you have a certified genius watching over you."

"Just means you got my brains," smiled Hannah as she started to draw Leela in for a hug, but stopped short when her daughter suddenly let out a stifled painful grunt and pulled back concerned,. "Everything okay? Do you need me to contact Dr. Farris?"

"No," groaned Leela rolling her shoulder hoping it would help with the pain., "Just played a little rough today is all."

"I saw," the concern in Hannah's voice increasing as she watched her daughter, "Nobody did anything to you, did they?"

"On my team? No, nobody did anything to me," the teen sighed as she took a couple of aspirin for the pain. "It was the other team being assholes. They knocked Ruchi down and started the fight."

"What fight?!" exclaimed Hannah.

i Oh shit! /I thought Leela as her mother continued to shriek.

"You didn't tell us anything about a fight. Is that why that boy Harry had a black eye?"

"Calm down, Mom. It's not a big deal," Leela tried to reassure her mother.

"Not a big deal?!" shrieked Hannah again making the pain in Leela's shoulder shoot up to her head. "You get into a fight and you don't think to tell us about it?!"

"Nothing came of it," countered Leela rubbing her temple. "We got into a fight, won, and nobody got hurt."

"Lift your shirt," Hannah ordered suddenly.

"I'm sorry?" asked Leela suddenly confused by her mother's abrupt militaristic order.

"Lift your shirt," repeated Hannah, this time a little softer, "Please."

Turning around, Leela lifted her shirt and heard a disapproving click.

"Is it that bad?" she asked, hoping that her mother wouldn't make her go to a doctor.

"Not really," whispered Hannah running a hand cautiously along her daughters back. "Does any of this hurt?"

"No," grunted Leela as her mother pressed just below her ribcage. "Okay, that one did a bit."

"Okay," Hannah sighed with relief, "Nothing feels broken but you'll be feeling it in the morning."

"I bet," Leela huffed dropping her shirt. "Thanks by the way."

"For what?" asked her mother pulling a stem of grapes from the bowl sitting on the tray.

"For worrying about me," replied Leela, her hands rubbing together nervously, "I know I've been a pain lately and that I haven't been all that easy to talk to, but..."

"Stop," interrupted Hannah, "Just hold on a moment." Taking a moment to finish her mouthful of grapes, Hannah let out a satisfied sigh and smiled at her daughter. "I would just like to say that you haven't been a pain."

"But, Mom..."

"Let me finish," laughed Hannah holding up a finger. "It's true you've been difficult and emotional, but that was to be expected seeing as how you're sixteen."

"That's one way of looking at it," snorted Leela taking another bite of her now slightly stale sandwich.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Hannah in mock offense. "Are you implying that I am merely putting up with you out of some occupational obligation? If so, I am affronted you'd say such a thing."

"I forgot you can be as big a dork as Dad," laughed Leela as she took a drink of water.

"Well at least we have that in common," winked her mother sitting down on the bed. "But, Leela you don't need to apologize for anything. If anything, your father and I should be the ones to apologize."

"Why do you need to apologize? You're not the ones who..."

"We're the ones who brought you into this kind of life," she said, locking eyes with her daughter; forcing her to blink back some tears. "If one of us had just quit the military, we'd have kept you from being treated the way you have been. But, we just couldn't sit by when Shanxi happened."

"I wouldn't have expected you too," grunted Leela moving her chair closer to her mom. "I mean it sucked being left with Aunt Rose while you and Dad were gone, but you guys came back so it worked out."

"I guess," laughed Hannah wiping away a tear, "still doesn't mean we had to stay in the military. You would have had a bit more of a stable environment to grow up in."

"And miss out on getting into fights with a bunch of alien kids on a giant space station?" scoffed Leela pointing out the window. "I'd rather jump in front of an air car."

"I think the car would come out the loser in that fight," snorted Hannah covering her mouth. "Like that time you tried to see if you could make it from your bed to ours when we were on vacation in Brazil."

"How can I forget?" said Leela joining in her mother's laughter. "We go to a beach resort and I'm stuck sitting there with my arm in a plastic bag because I couldn't get sand in my cast."

"I remember you running around asking everyone you could to sign it," snorted Hannah. "I've never seen a seven year old so excited to have a broken arm."

They sat there laughing for a few minutes, remembering the vacations they'd gone on and swapping stupid stories about what they'd done as kids. It went on like that for nearly an hour, both of their stomachs hurting from how hard they'd been laughing, faces red, smiles locked in even as they began to cough from their laughing.

"Oh god," groaned Hannah wiping away another tear from her eye, "I completely forgot about you pulling that sunscreen prank on your dad."

"I'm glad you forgot because he sure as hell didn't make it easy for me to forget," Leela chuckled remembering how hard it had been to sit for the rest of the day.

"If it was me you wouldn't have sat for a week," Hannah countered.

"Well thanks for the warning," mumbled Leela with a smirk. "I'll be sure to remember that the next time we go to the beach."

"We can do that next vacation," suggested Hannah with a small laugh.

"Oh and have me get arrested for public indecency," replied Leela, a hint of derision in her voice. "I'd rather take my chances with that C-Sec officer."

"Well we can do a beach vacation after your surgery," suggested Hannah, lifting her head off the mattress. "Maybe hit the south of Italy during the summer. Let your dad visit some of his family."

"I guess we could do that," pondered Leela finishing the last of her water, "As long as I get to pick out my suit."

"Deal." agreed Hannah sticking out her hand.

When she felt her daughter's hand clasp hers, Hannah pulled her daughter onto the mattress with very little effort. Falling next to her mother, Leela turned onto her side and ran a finger listlessly on along the scars that ran along her mother's cheeks. They were a souvenir from a turian she had encountered during Shanxi and had barely come out of the fight alive. They were the first scars Leela could remember seeing in her life and Leela couldn't help but smile as her thoughts drifted to when her mother had come to get her.

IShe was almost six and had been living with her mother's half-sister Rose.

Though strained due to Rose being born of their mother's second marriage, the two sisters eventually became quite close. So close in fact that Rose was one of the few people Hannah could trust with caring for Leela while she and Mark were away. In fact, one of Leela's most prominent memories as a child was when she lived with her aunt. Whenever she had time, Rose would take her to the movies, baseball games, the theater, and was even there when she won her first tee-ball game. While nowhere near as much of a hard-ass as her sister, Rose definitely was related to Hannah and it showed, especially when she was mad.

Still she knew that she could only do so much. There were a few things that Rose would let her get away with. The most important of which was letting Leela stare out of the window and wait for her parents every day after homework, dinner and chores. Every night without fail, Leela would fall asleep after one of her cartoons with a book in hand and wake up in her bed, except for one night.

One night, as usual she'd fallen asleep on the couch time reading "The Castle of Llyr," when she groggily became aware that she was moving. Opening her eyes, she saw a blurry figure and thought it was her aunt carrying her to bed. As they wandered through the hallways of her aunt's large house, Leela remembered her vision clearing and seeing a bandaged face instead. Letting out a loud scream and fighting her way out of whatever was holding her she ran to her aunt's closet and hid under a comforter, wrapping it tightly around her.

"What is going on?!" she remembered her aunt exclaiming groggily from her king sized bed.

"There's a monster in the hall!" she shouted from beneath the large comforter. "It's going to take me away!"

"A monster?" she heard her aunt ask drowsily through the closet door. "What are you...oh my lord."

"You see it?!" asked Leela, her voice shaking." It's a mummy! Like the one in that old movie you and I watched last week! It's going to take me to its tomb or put a curse on me!"

"Sweetheart," she'd heard her aunt laugh, "it's not a mummy. Well, not in the sense you're thinking of..."

"You're lying!" she'd shouted back tightening the comforter around her. "You're in league with it and want to use some spell on me to make you live forever or to lift a curse on it!"

Through the comforter, she heard the muffled voice of her aunt and someone else followed by amused laughter. She heard the door shut and retreating footsteps. She remained under the comforter, convinced that the monster wouldn't find her, but remembering some of the things her parents had taught her about defending herself against strangers. Despite the violent trembling coursing through her body, she was ready for the monster to try and grab her. She was thoroughly convinced she would be able to fight it off. Then she heard a knock on the closet door.

She remembered thinking, i"Monsters don't knock."/i but remained quiet when the monster knocked again.

"Hello?" asked a soft voice through the door. "I'm looking for a little boy, about six years old with red hair. I've come a very long way to see him."

Leela remembered laying still, thinking that the comforter would protect her like the shields she heard about the soldiers using.

"Hello?!" asked the voice again. "I was told that a little boy named Liam Shepard was in here. If you could get him I'd be..."

"There's no one in here," she replied before she could stop herself.

"Oh," answered the voice a little disappointed. "That's too bad because my name's Hannah and I'm his mom. I just wanted to..."

"You're a liar!" she shouted pulling the comforter off her head and hitting the closet the door. "You aren't my mommy! My mommy is away fighting aliens! You're a monster!"

"Are you sure?" the voice had asked not even trying to hide its amusement. "Because I got a letter with a drawing from his aunt's email address that said it was from him."

"What letter?" Leela snapped. "My mommy hasn't gotten any of my letters! If she'd got them she would have written me back like she promised"

The door opened a crack, letting in just enough light for her to have made out some of the boxes that littered the closet. From outside, she heard the monster shift. She remained quiet, her hands shaking as she waited for the monster to open the door the rest of the way and snatch her. Instead she heard the sound of paper rustling followed by a human hand with an open omni-tool showing the picture of three stick people standing outside a house smiling.

Slowly, Leela dropped the comforter and crept toward the picture. She remembered drawing that picture and had sent it to both her parents via the extranet with her aunt's permission. She hadn't seen it in months. There was no way anyone else could have gotten ahold of it since it was mailed through a secured Alliance channel according to her aunt. Reaching the door, she pulled it open very slowly and peered out into the room to see an un-bandaged red headed woman with large scars on her face and a large smile on her face.

"Hi." Hannah choked out as the tears rolled down her face.

"Mommy?" Leela asked choking back her tears.

"Of course it's me, my brave little boy." answered Hannah her arms opening wide.

Leela remembered rushing into her mother's arms; tears pouring into her mother's shirt as she cried, "You're back!"

"Of course I'm back sweetheart," cried Hannah as her grip tightened, "and I'm going to be here for a long time."/i

"What's got you so happy?" asked Hannah flicking her daughter in the nose.

"I was just remembering the day you came back from Shanxi," Leela smiled softly, flicking her mother back.

"Still afraid of mummies?" joked Hannah poking her daughter in the ribs.

"No," coughed, Leela fighting back the laughter "just hags now."

"Who are you calling a hag?!" exclaimed Hannah pulling Leela in, her fingers running along the ticklish part of her daughter's ribcage.

Leela couldn't keep herself from laughing. Her mother had always known exactly what places to touch to get the loudest laughs from her daughter.

"Stop!" screamed Leela coughing loudly before laughing again, "I'm sorry!"

"Are you sure?!" asked Hannah, her nails gently scratching her daughters skin through her shirt. "Or do you just want me to stop?!"

"Can't it be both?" gasped Leela, before breaking into another fit of laughter.

"Ummmm..." hummed Hannah momentarily before continuing her assault. "You have to suffer more."

Hannah continued her assault for another five minutes before Leela's coughing turned into hacking. Relenting, the soldier sat up and pulled her daughter next to her chest. She handed her one of the unopened bottles of water. Letting Leela take a few minutes to calm herself, Hannah rested her chin on her daughter's head and hummed gently as she waited for her to finish drinking.

"I hate you," Leela sighed after draining the bottle.

"I know," chuckled Hannah. "Still doesn't mean I love you or am any less proud of you."

"Even after not telling you about the fight?"

"Even after that," smiled Hannah gently squeezing her daughter. "It's something I'm going to have to get used to if you plan on joining the Alliance."

Leela felt her mother's finger gently brush along the bridge of her nose prompting her to ask, "Do you really think I can make it in the Alliance?

"I know you can, Leela," encouraged her mother, tightening her grip. "You're much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"But what if someone finds out?" asked Leela sitting up and looking at her mother worried; her hands gripping her mother's forearms. "People always find out even if I don't say anything."

"Well," sighed Hannah kissing the top of her daughter's head, "the one thing you won't do is start a pointless fight. Only act in self-defense or report it to your commanding officer."

"What happens if I start the fight or someone turns it against me to my commanding officer?" Leela's body began shaking uncontrollably at the thought of what would happen surrounded by trained soldiers. "Can't they kick me out?"

"No." stated Hannah, feeling her daughter calm. "Decades ago, maybe, but today they can't and if they do just stay the course and remain calm. The more aggravated and hostile you are, the more ammunition they will have against you. Then you end up blowing a gasket and in front of the brass like your father for insubordination and conduct unbecoming."

"What?!" asked Leela in disbelief. "Who the hell brought those charges against dad?!"

"Remember that shrink the captain sent in after you got into that fight with those boys?" whispered Hannah.

"The one he punted out the door?" giggled Leela remembering the scream the man let out as her dad's foot collided with his backside.

"That's the one," exhaled Hannah her hold on her daughter tightening even more. "Turns out he's a major with connections and filed your dad for a Cat 6 evaluation."

"What's that mean?" asked Leela, confused by the terminology.

"It means your dad's been given a desk job until they figure out if he's mentally fit to continue serving in the Alliance or if he should be discharged." Hannah felt Leela slouch back into her and shook her head, "It's not your fault."

"Yes it..."

"It's not your fault," repeated Hannah burying her face in her daughter's hair. "Your dad acted of his own accord and he's paying the consequences for his actions."

"But he acted because..."

"He acted because people were being unfair and not punishing those who were responsible. So don't worry your thick head about it."

"Not as thick as your ass," countered Leela getting a laugh from her mother.

"I'll give you that one," agreed Hannah.

They sat there in the quiet of her room listening to the gentle hum of the air system flowing throughout the house. Leela's nostrils filled with the smell of tobacco from her mother's smoking habit. To many the smell was repulsive, especially since the human race had become so concerned with cleanliness since her parents had grown up, but Leela found it rather comforting. It always seemed to calm her but something was nagging her that even the smell of her mother's habit couldn't overcome.

"Where are we going to live?" she asked after several moments of silence.

"What do you mean?" asked Hannah taken aback at the question.

"You're going to get shipped out, Dad's under surveillance, and neither one of you have been reassigned to a new ship." Leela felt tears forming in her eyes as she asked, "and all because I'm..."

"I told you to stop thinking that," ordered Hannah with a light laugh. "There's no reason for you to worry about that. Your Uncle Rick said we can stay here since his tour of duty got extended and Uncle Jim is going to be on Illium for a while longer dealing with those trade contracts so we have the run of the place long enough for us to get reassigned."

"If you say so," muttered Leela still unsure of their situation. "If that's true then I'm shocked that Uncle Rick and Uncle Jim are allowing us to stay here after what happened the last time we stayed in one of their apartments," said Leela with a mischievous laugh as she remembered the time she went camping in her Uncles closet.

"I forgot all about that," snorted Hannah, fighting back a laugh as she remembered the call she'd gotten about the surprise Leela left amidst a pile of very expensive suits. "But, considering all the shit your Uncle Rick put your dad and I through, he can't really deny us.

"What'd he do?" asked Leela, her interest piqued when her mother mentioned their past.

"Well," sighed Hannah falling against the wall and taking Leela with her, "you know that book your dad bought after the clerk told you she couldn't sell it to you?'

"Yeah." answered Leela remembering some of the pictures she'd seen. "Not exactly something that's easy to forget."

"No it isn't," laughed Hannah running a finger through her daughter's hair. "Well in that book there's a certain chart that shows where a person stands in how they're attracted to members of the human race."

"Really?" asked Leela, nervous where this conversation was leading.

"Yep," Hannah chuckled holding up her hands. "Zero," she began by making the shape with her right hand, "means you're exclusively attracted to the opposite sex. While six," she made the corresponding number with her fingers, "means you're only attracted to members of the same sex. Everything in between means to some extent you can go either way."

"Okay," smiled Leela, trying to hold back her laughter. "So what's that have to do with you, Uncle Rick and Uncle Jim?"

"Well," began Hannah taking a deep breath, "on that scale I'm a two while your Uncle Rick is a four."

"Really?" gasped Leela. "A four?"

"Yeah," laughed Hannah at her daughter's shock.

"I figured he'd be a full blown six," shrugged Leela before turning back around and resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Jim is," stated Hannah rather nonchalantly, "Your Uncle Rick though has always been a little less frugal in that department."

"Okay," answered Leela still unsure as to what her mother was getting at. "What does that have to do with you and Dad? Did he try to take Dad from you?"

"No, not exactly," said Hannah her chest heaving as she fought to contain her laughter. "He was cheating on your dad with me!" she said, her laughter finally breaking through."

"You've got to be shitting me!" Leela gaped, covering her mouth as her laughter mingled with her mother's. "Dad and Uncle Rick?"

"I shit you not," laughed Hannah, her body shaking along with her daughter's. "Came as a bit of a shock to me when I found out; your dad too."

"How did you two end up together?" asked Leela, through her laughter; her nose whistling with each breath.

"Well," gasped Hannah finally catching her breath, "after Rick was stupid enough to get caught out on a date with me by your father, we both broke off contact with him. We didn't know who the other was, so we went our separate ways but a year later we ran into each other."

"Are you sure you aren't just ripping off some old romance vid?" teased Leela, earning her a flick in the ear.

"I was at a bar with some friends," continued Hannah; ignoring Leela's protests. "Your dad was on a date, with some girl. She had a pretty face and seemed nice enough but something happened so she left; leaving your dad alone and looking a bit down."

A smile broke across her face while her eyes slowly took on a faraway look.

"So, I figured I'd make his night a bit better and to show him no hard feelings. I walked over with a couple of pitchers of beer."

"I bet that picked his mood up," Leela chuckled, knowing how snooty her dad could get about his beer.

"We were in Ireland," grinned Hannah, "A little stereotypical but your dad was happy with the beer and incredibly embarrassed when he realized who I was. Bastard didn't have the balls to look me in the eye for the first hour but after a pitcher by himself, he loosened up."

"Don't tell me you went home with him," groaned Leela, not wanting to hear any more details on her parents' love life.

"No I did not," countered Hannah haughtily. "It took another three months of hanging out before we decided to try dating. A year and half after that we got married and had you."

"And all this because Dad found out Uncle Rick was dating both of you at the same time," surmised Leela scratching her chin.

"Yep," laughed Hannah at her daughter's gesture.

"That explains why Uncle Jim doesn't like leaving you or Dad alone with Uncle Rick," Leela smirked looking up at her mother. "He's jealous of you guys."

"Jim's not jealous," said Hannah flatly. "He's just a little weirded out by the fact that your dad and I forgave Uncle Rick. He only gets nervous once we've had a few drinks and start talking about our dating lives."

"More like he's ready to shit bricks." snickered Leela earning another tug on the ear. "Would you please stop doing that?"

"Well then quit being a smartass," jabbed Hannah pulling on her daughter's ear again. "Not like you're one to talk with what I've seen of your extranet history."

"Not my fault that I'm curious about things like that or a smart ass." countered Leela with a cheeky grin, "seems to be genetic."

"Ain't that the truth," groaned Hannah as she stretched her legs out. "Still though, with us being here for a while I guess that means you don't have to worry about giving up on hanging out with those kids."

"What makes you say that?" asked Leela stretching her own legs out with a relieved groan.

"I heard them talking about you as they left the restaurant. It would seem that you made quite the impression on them."

"You think?" asked Leela, unconvinced by her mother's revelation.

"I know," confirmed Hannah warmly, trying to stifle a yawn. "When they passed me and your dad in the restaurant, that turian was talking about some vid you were supposed to go and see with them tomorrow."

"Oh...yeah..." Leela remembered; her voice dropping to almost a whisper.

"You can go if you want," answered her mother before the question was even asked. "Your father and I won't stop you."

"But I don't know them that well," argued Leela, her shoulders growing tense. "Don't you think it's a little weird that they'd ask me to hang out with them so soon? What if someone suspects something?"

"Leela," grumbled her mother before pulling gently on her daughter's ear. "You played baseball with aliens, who until almost fourteen years ago, we thought didn't exist and they accepted you without question."

"Well they had a few questions," muttered Leela earning her a gentle squeeze from her mother.

"They're your friends, Leela."

"I guess you're right," conceded Leela as her mother pressed her lips on the top of her head again.

"Call them sweetheart," said Hannah warmly. "You deserve this."

"Okay," answered Leela, returning the warmth.

Giving her daughter one last kiss on the cheek, Hannah climbed out from behind her and groaned as the blood rushed to her legs. As she went to leave the room, she heard Leela call her and turned.

"Yes, sweetie?" she asked, the warmth from moments ago still heavy in her voice.

"Thanks." answered Leela giving her mother a grateful smile.

"For what?' laughed Hannah rubbing a bit of sleep from her eye.

"For being there for me," Leela said simply.

Re-entering the room, Hannah leaned across the bed and gave her daughter a gentle kiss on the forehead and whispered, "I'll always be here."

When she was gone, Leela lay back on her mattress and stared up at the ceiling; her mother's words still echoing in her ears.

"Call them, sweetheart." the voice repeated. "You deserve this."

Pulling open her omni-tool, Leela opened up the contact list and began flipping through the group. Parveen was definitely out, not because Leela disliked her, but more that she was certain she'd get peppered about her parents' military history. The same went for Cato, Fedor and Chloris, though she was certain it was due to other things going on that would keep them from answering. Ludis was out as well. He was decent enough but Leela figured he would charge her to contact the others. That left Neil and Patty because where ever Harry was, Parveen would be as well. With no other alternative, she activated the com-link and waited as it rang.

"Yeah?" answered a disgruntled voice.

"Neil?" asked Leela hoping that they hadn't screwed up their personal information.

"Who is this?" growled the voice on the other end.

"It's Leela, from this afternoon," she said hesitantly.

"Oh, shit," laughed Neil, "Sorry about that. You got the right guy."

"Sorry about bugging you," Leela apologized with a nervous laugh. "Just thought I'd call you about the movie and hanging out afterwards."

"Don't worry about it, Leela." chuckled Neil, "I wasn't sure you'd call any of us, but I'm glad you did. What's the verdict?"

"My parents are okay with it." she answered, the blood rushing to her face before stammering. "I'll...I'll let you sleep."

"Hey," yawned Neil just as Leela was about to end the transmission.

"Yeah?" she asked; her finger hovering over the button that would disconnect the call.

"You want to get something to eat before the movie?"

"Sure, will the others be there?"

"No," answered Neil, drawing out the word just a second too long, "I was thinking just you and me."

"OH!" gasped Leela once the meaning of his suggestion sunk in, "I guess we can do that."

"Cool," laughed Neil picking up on the increase in volume. "So what happened after we left?"

"Well," sighed Leela propping herself up against her pillows, "what do you want to know first?"


End file.
